About Me

Saturday, December 20, 2014

A matter of faith

Let’s not allow Hindutva to
destroy the essence of Hinduism: tolerance and open-mindedness

Over the last week, there was no escaping
the controversy surrounding the Agra conversions. In case you have been hiding
under your bed to avoid all the high-decibel, bad-tempered debates on prime
time TV shows (and who can blame you!), an organization called the Dharma
Jagran Samanvay Vibhag (an offshoot of the RSS and Bajrang Dal) recently
converted a community of Muslim rag pickers to Hinduism in what is called a
‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) ceremony and what the Sangh Parivar has dubbed
‘ghar wapasi’ (returning home). But even as the two houses of Parliament went
into meltdown, and the voices of the commentariat became shriller than ever,
all I could think about was an incident that happened in my own childhood.

Like most kids of my background in those
days, I studied in a school that was run by Christian missionaries. So, we
would start the day with a Christian prayer in the morning assembly; we would
say Grace before heading for our lunch break, and a small prayer would be said
before we broke up for the day. There was a lovely chapel on the premises, and
come exam time, we would all file in of our own volition, bend down on our
knees and cross ourselves nervously as we prayed fervently for good marks.

No matter what our religion – and we had
a smattering of Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists along with Hindus and Christians –
we all went through this routine year in and year out. And yet, none of us felt
that our own faiths – the religions we practiced at home – were compromised by
a few ‘Hail Marys’ or ‘Our Father, who art in heaven…’

The only exception (that I knew of,
anyway) was my second cousin, who lived in Agra. At age 12, she became
fascinated by Christianity, read the Bible and other religious tracts, and
decided that she wanted to become a Christian. So, she took her request to the
great patriarch of our family, her grandfather, a Sanskrit scholar of some
distinction himself. Instead of exploding angrily at her request, as a lesser
man may have done, he listened to her patiently, and asked her why she wanted
to convert. She told him what she admired and loved about the Christian faith.
Yes, he said to her, all of that is true. But do you really understand what you
would be losing by giving up on Hinduism? No, she did not, she conceded
reluctantly.

No problem, said Bauji (as he was
universally known). He would give her a few books on Hinduism that she could
read over the month. They would meet and discuss what she had read every day. And
if at the end of the month she still felt that Hinduism was not for her and she
would rather be a Christian, then he would personally organize her baptism in
the faith.

Well, to cut a long story short, in the
end my cousin decided to stay in the faith she was born in. But to this day, I
am struck by the strength and sagacity of Bauji. He didn’t yell at my cousin
that she was being stupid to even think of such a thing. He didn’t patronize
her by saying that she was too young to make such a decision. And nor did he
lay down the law: you are born a Hindu; and a Hindu you shall remain till the
day you die. Instead, he appreciated why the tenets of Christianity had
appealed to her. But rather than say that one religion was inferior/superior to
another, he encouraged her to study both, and then make up her own mind. And whatever
decision she made, he promised to support her.

To me, Bauji epitomizes the essential
tolerance and fair-mindedness that is the hallmark of Hinduism; the acceptance
that there are many paths that lead to God, and no one path is better than the
other. It is that tolerance and fair-mindedness that makes me proud to be a
Hindu. And it is that essential truth of Hinduism that Hindutva seeks to
destroy, with its insistence on conversions that are brought about with
inducements and blandishments rather than a reliance on a genuine change of
heart.

For me – as I suspect it is for most
Indians – my faith is an intensely private matter. It is an integral part of my
being, but it is not what defines me. I would still be the same person if I
were a practicing Muslim or Christian instead of a practicing Hindu. At the end
of the day, which God I worship comes entirely down to an accident of birth.
Speaking for myself, I am happy that I was born in this faith. But an essential
part of that faith is being tolerant of those who were born into others; and to
respect the choice of those who wish to convert to another.

Hinduism was not weakened when Muslim
invaders came and converted thousands of Hindus to Islam over the centuries or
the missionaries came proselytising. And it will not be strengthened if various
affiliates of the RSS go around ‘re-converting’ thousands of Muslims and
Christians in the 21st century.

At the end of the day, Hinduism derives
its strength from the philosophy of life it espouses. It is a great religion
because it teaches us that the entire world is one family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam).
And it will stay strong because of people like my Bauji, who teach their
children and grandchildren that it doesn’t matter what the road is called, just
so long as it reaches God.

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I agree with your thoughts and it is true our religion and actually most of our belief system depends on the environment we grow up in. So, if those poor muslims in agra decide to change their religion it's their choice. The only thing UP administration should be concerned is of they were coerced into changing their religion. If they were not, we should respect their right to convert and the right of RSS to proselytize.

Awesome article ma'am! A reflection of my views too. I strongly believe that such thinking is what keeps us Indians united amidst issues that arise due to the narrow mindedness of our society. Congrats for writing such an article!!

The problem is that we do not have baujis to guide our youngsters. What would you do maam in such a situation?Are you well versed enough with your religion to convince a person about the greatness of Hinduism (other than the hyped virtue of tolerance)? can you hold forth a fifteen minute lecture on the sthitpragya, brahman (not brahmin),triguna. Therefore, we need something or someone to prevent conversions.